Give Tank Boots the Boot, Decals Too!

Some decals like the VIP sticker, MOD, and Nitrox decals are
necessary, but those should be the only decals on your tanks. Tank boots
on steel cylinders are necessary because steel cylinders always have a
round bottom and won't stand up without them. Tank boots aren't
available for most of the aluminum tank sizes we sell because tank boots
are only made for 6.9 inch(AL-72), 7.25 inch(AL-80) and 8.0 inch
(AL-100) tank diameters. Aluminum tanks don't need boots because they
have flat bottoms and so we don't include tank boots on aluminum
cylinders in those diameters for a very good reason: they are the most
common cause of damage to the tank and most experienced divers don't use
them on aluminum tanks.

The most common reason we see for cylinders failing their annual
inspection and being condemned is corrosion under the tank boot or
beneath decals. Decals (including those big 'Nitrox' decals) should be
scraped off every year during inspection. If your local dive shop takes
the time to remove all decals, then you know they are protecting your
investment. Only the required decals should be replaced, a single
current VIP decal and if necessary a nitrox wrap or MOD decals. If you
must have a boot on your tank, the moment you get home from the dive
knock the boot off then rinse the tank and boot. Leave the boot off
until everything is dry, then replace the boot and store the tank
standing upright until the next time to go diving.

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Oxygen & Nitrox FAQ

Yes and no; this simple question has a complex answer because there is no widely recognized scuba diving standard for what constitutes suitability for oxygen service. Hypothetically, the equipment we sell could be used with oxygen if we describe it as Nitrox Ready, otherwise you should assume air only service. However from the point of view of stringent U.S. aerospace guidelines and Compressed Gas Association handling standards for oxygen, nothing in general use in recreational diving is suitable for oxygen service.

The reason why we can't give you a simple unqualified "YES" is related to the associated risks when the circumstances of use are completely outside our control. Using oxygen for diving requires you to make an informed decision to accept for yourself the risks of handing the oxygen. To help form your opinion about the answer read our article About Oxygen Disclaimers.

According to our suppliers, their Nitrox Ready products are oxygen compatible and oxygen clean from the factory, prior to initial use, for compressed gases greater than 23.5% oxygen. (Air is defined as containing from 19% to 23.5% oxygen.) However, most suppliers in the dive industry specify their Nitrox Ready products for use with gas mixtures containing a maximum of 40% oxygen as the upper limit. Although controversial, some dive industry professionals are of the opinion that Nitrox Ready products do not have to be dedicated to oxygen service and may be used interchangeably with CGA Grade "E" air as long as the Nitrox Ready product never contacts gas mixtures in excess of 40% oxygen.

The 40% specification has become widely used in the recreational diving industry to reduce risk to safety of the diver and limit manufacturer liability, yet indicate a product is (at least initially) oxygen compatible and oxygen clean. For more information please read About Oxygen Disclaimers.

Since Air is defined by the CGA as containing 19% to 23.5% oxygen, describing nitrogen-oxygen gas mixtures up to 23.5% as Nitrox is just a misleading way of describing ordinary Air. Gas mixtures greater than 23.5% oxygen are what most people assume to be Nitrox, and of course there is also pure Oxygen. To avoid conflict with various dive supplier labeling and any misunderstanding about exactly what constitutes Nitrox, Dive Gear Express sometimes uses the phrase "suitable for service with compressed gases containing greater than 23.5% oxygen" to describe products that are both oxygen clean and oxygen compatible prior to initial use, especially in reference to cylinders and valves.

Our suppliers tell us their equipment described as Nitrox Ready is already oxygen clean from the factory. The Compressed Gas Association standards state that equipment handling any Nitrox mixture in excess of 23.5% oxygen shall be cleaned to their standard as if the gas is pure oxygen, there is no lesser standard. That requirement is why Nitrox Ready equipment has already been oxygen cleaned by the manufacturer. SCUBA equipment is labeled "NITROX READY" or "40% MAX OXYGEN" instead of "O2 Clean" or "Oxygen Service" because the manufacturers are managing the risks, both to your safety and their liability, associated with oxygen-related fires and explosions by specifying their SCUBA products for use only with breathing gas mixtures no more than 40% oxygen.

Nitrox Ready equipment from our suppliers is not just "kinda sorta clean" or "premix clean", it is oxygen clean. The practice by shops and individuals of aftermarket cleaning for new dive equipment that is already oxygen clean from the factory is pointless at best and dangerous if done improperly. If aftermarket oxygen cleaning is not done to CGA standard including testing, it is probable the equipment has been contaminated by the aftermarket cleaning itself. Prior to initial use, no amount of aftermarket cleaning can make a Nitrox Ready product more oxygen clean nor can cleaning it ever override the manufacturer specified limits. The manufacturer can't stop you from using their equipment with breathing gases and pressures that exceed their specifications, but doing that requires you to make an informed decision to accept for yourself the risks of handing the oxygen.